托福考试已经近在眼前了。不知道各位考生们现在是否已经制定好了适合自己的复习备考计划。下面小编对托福听力训练做了总结，希望能帮到即将考试的各位考生们，下面一起来看看吧~

WelcometotheFourWindsHistoricalFarm,wheretraditionsofthepastarepreservedforvisitorslikeyou.Today,ourmasterthatcherswillbegingivingthisbarnbehindmeasturdythatchedroof,abletowithstandheavywindsandlastuptoahundredyears.Howdotheydoit?Well,inanutshell,thatchinginvolvescoveringthebeamsorrafters,thewoodenskeletonofaroofwithreedsorstraw.

Ourthatchersherehaveharvestedtheirownnaturalmaterialsforthejob,thebundlesofwaterreedsyouseelyingovertherebesidethebarn.ThatchingiscertainlyuncommonintheUntiedStatestoday.Iguessthat'swhysomanyofyouhavecometoseethisdemonstration.Butitwasn'talwaysthatway.Intheseventeenthcentury,thecolonistsherethatchedtheirroofswithreedsandstraw,justastheyhaddoneinEngland.

Afterawhile,though,theybegantoreplacethethatchwithwoodenshinglesbecausewoodwassoplentiful.Andeventually,otherroofingmaterialslikestone,slate,andclaytilescameintouse.It'sarealshamethatmostpeopletodaydon'trealizehowstrongandlonglastingathatchedroofis.InIreland,wherethatchingisstillpracticed,theroofscansurvivewindsofuptoonehundredtenmilesperhour.

That'sbecausestrawandreedsaresoflexible.Theybendbutdon'tbreakinthewindlikeothermaterialscan.Anotheradvantageisthattheroofskeepthehousecoolinthesummerandwarminthewinter.Andthen,ofcourse,there'stheroofs'longevity—theaverageissixtyyears,buttheycanlastuptoahundred.Withallthesereasonstostartthatchingroofsagain,wouldn'titbewonderfultoseethisdisappearingcraftreturntopopularity?